Film

The twenties is a time that has a special place in American history — it is the decade when America experienced economic growth and this subsequently led to higher standards of living, flourishing of culture, and rapid social transformation. This period dubbed as “The Roaring Twenties” cemented the United States’ prominence and had ultimately reified what is known as “the American dream” — the dream that many people in the world still aspire.

At the same time, however, this period also witnessed a drastic downward shift in the social and moral disposition of the American people, epitomized by the yearning to defy the Prohibition and laws which restricted the influx of immigrants into the country. It is in this tumultuous setting that a powerful narrative is breathed into yet another excellent period piece — James Gray’s The Immigrant (2013).

I came to know about Submarine because I was (and still am) obsessed with Alex Turner and the Arctic Monkeys. I found out that there was this coming-of-age film with a soundtrack written entirely by Alex Turner during the pre-Suck It And See era; it signified the change in sound Arctic Monkeys was headed towards, from its indie rock garage band roots.

The scandalous allegations plaguing Director Bryan Singer aren’t enough to deny the fact that X-Men: Days of Future Past is a sleek, bold and intelligent film that can go down as one of the finest superhero films in history.

There’s a good reason why many of us are apprehensive about the new Godzilla movie: we’ve had our fair share of bad flicks adapted from the so-called king of all kaijus. The perfect example of this would be the godawful 1998 franchise whose only achievement was casting the (still) dreamy Matthew Broderick.

So how did Godzilla’s return to the big screen fare? To put it mildly, like the titular character at the end of the film, it reigned supreme. (more…)

Nothing could be as heart-wrenching as seeing an amazing ensemble of award-winning actors trying to resuscitate a plot line that is as predictable as your next intake of medicine.

Maybe the producers of Last Vegas thought that by placing Oscar-winning actors in a supposed comedy, they could pull off box office success, regardless of having worn-out jokes and tired punch lines concerning Viagra, hip replacements, and body pains. But these respectable actors could only do so much and this movie, which could be seen as a GP version of theHangovertrilogy, has failed to deliver on its promise of being a comedy.

Three friends find themselves in relationship conundrums and they try to decipher what to do next about it. Jason (Zac Efron) sits on a bench, apparently waiting for someone, and tells the story from the beginning. After learning that his wife is having an affair and wants to divorce him, Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) gets dragged into a bar by his friends, Jason and Daniel, to meet new people. Mikey meets a girl with glasses (Kate Simses) but doesn’t call her until the end of the movie, as he keeps trying to patch things up with his wife, Vera (Jessica Lucas). Daniel eventually falls for his wingwoman, Chelsea (Mackenzie Davis). And Jason meets Ellie (Imogen Poots), a writer. He commits a lot of what would be considered relationship mistakes, yet of course, she is the one he’s waiting for while sitting on that bench. All these become complicated when the three friends make a pact to remain single and help each other out during this time in their lives.

With film adaptations of popular young adult novels coming one after another, we once again experience the two-edged power of the page and of the screen. But there’s more to book-to-screens beyond imaginary worlds, exciting action, and young love. This May, we dig deeper into a favorite theme in literature and film — coming-of-age. Grab some tissue because here are some book-to-screens that would break your hearts and make you cry.

We all have regarded Forrest Gump (1994) as the kind of movie to watch with our families on a fine Sunday morning — touching, heartfelt, and inspiring. And much has been said about the film’s heartwarming screenplay and Tom Hanks’ impeccable performance as the iconic protagonist (let the six Oscars speak to you). But a second (or third or fourth) look at this film would make us realize that Forrest’s life is a reminder that life has its fair share of happiness and heartbreaks. Anyway, as what Forrest’s momma always said, “Life [is] like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

My problem with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is its sheer existence. Why did Sony have to do a reboot when it has already established a superior franchise back in 2002 witn Sam Raimi at the helm? Upon seeing The Amazing Spider-Man 2, my problem was further reinforced.

Mean Girls…How do we begin to explain Mean Girls? In all its flawlessness, it needs no validation: it is the quintessential high school movie; the queen bee, if you must. And if you don’t know it, you’ve been living under a rock, or homeschooled by your research zoologist parents while spending your formative years in Africa. The wisecracks (say crack again? CRACK) has punched our hearts for 10 years now, and it’s still awesome.

Yes. Yes it is.

And yes, I’ve packed 5 movie references in that first paragraph, and I’m unrepentant about it.

A science-fiction film starring Johnny Depp (and also [the] Morgan Freeman) with Christopher Nolan as executive producer and a script included in the 2012 edition of The Black List (which, by the way, is a list of the best unproduced scripts handpicked by film executives) would have definitely sounded brilliant and full of potential. However, we all come to realize that once in a while, even blockbuster elements lead to lackluster results. Transcendence had it all, or so we thought.